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hefalumps · 11-18-2010, 05:47 PM

What a great thread!

When I got a NES, I rented pretty much all of the baseball games, but my favorites were Bases Loaded and Baseball Stars. I remember keeping my own box scores from some of those games. But Baseball Stars quickly took over when it came out. It was a little cartoony, but it was the first game I knew of where you could create your own team, trade/hire/fire players, and play out an actual season with statkeeping, player development/aging, etc. I also liked being able to make my fielders dive and jump for the ball! I created a little Orioles dynasty with that game using existing players and fictional players - and I somehow still remember the names of some of the fictional players (Thwack Robbins was one of my favorites - I was really sad when his skills declined so much that I had to send him packing).

On the PC, there was a game back in the late 80s/early 90s that we borrowed from a friend, and I can't for the life of me remember the name. Maybe some of you can help. I think it was called "Fantom" or something similar. It was mostly a text simulator with some rudimentary ballpark layout graphics, but I remember playing as the 1989 Orioles and being able to play out a season, make trades, manage rosters, etc. I have no idea what happened to it, and until I found OOTP, I hadn't found a text simulator that gave me the same enjoyment.

Since I couldn't find a text sim I liked, I instead played out seasons/dynasties with games like Hardball and High Heat. Those two games were great when they were around. I tried MVP Baseball for a couple of years before it went away, and while I liked the gameplay, I never got into any dynasties - I just played out exhibition games. By the time I got into MVP Baseball, I already had OOTP, so playing a dynasty in MVP Baseball just didn't seem like it would have the depth I wanted.

Now I play OOTP almost exclusively, although now that I have a PS3 I'll probably get the next version of The Show, and I might try to start a dynasty in it just to give it a chance.

Can't wait to read about everyone else's old baseball game experiences. I always hear a lot about Earl Weaver Baseball - that's one I never got to try.

11-18-2010, 05:47 PM	#6
hefalumps All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 1,386	What a great thread! When I got a NES, I rented pretty much all of the baseball games, but my favorites were Bases Loaded and Baseball Stars. I remember keeping my own box scores from some of those games. But Baseball Stars quickly took over when it came out. It was a little cartoony, but it was the first game I knew of where you could create your own team, trade/hire/fire players, and play out an actual season with statkeeping, player development/aging, etc. I also liked being able to make my fielders dive and jump for the ball! I created a little Orioles dynasty with that game using existing players and fictional players - and I somehow still remember the names of some of the fictional players (Thwack Robbins was one of my favorites - I was really sad when his skills declined so much that I had to send him packing). On the PC, there was a game back in the late 80s/early 90s that we borrowed from a friend, and I can't for the life of me remember the name. Maybe some of you can help. I think it was called "Fantom" or something similar. It was mostly a text simulator with some rudimentary ballpark layout graphics, but I remember playing as the 1989 Orioles and being able to play out a season, make trades, manage rosters, etc. I have no idea what happened to it, and until I found OOTP, I hadn't found a text simulator that gave me the same enjoyment. Since I couldn't find a text sim I liked, I instead played out seasons/dynasties with games like Hardball and High Heat. Those two games were great when they were around. I tried MVP Baseball for a couple of years before it went away, and while I liked the gameplay, I never got into any dynasties - I just played out exhibition games. By the time I got into MVP Baseball, I already had OOTP, so playing a dynasty in MVP Baseball just didn't seem like it would have the depth I wanted. Now I play OOTP almost exclusively, although now that I have a PS3 I'll probably get the next version of The Show, and I might try to start a dynasty in it just to give it a chance. Can't wait to read about everyone else's old baseball game experiences. I always hear a lot about Earl Weaver Baseball - that's one I never got to try.